extras in a hanson dvd
This hastily tacked on concert was filmed for Hanson posterity. The following are vignettes that resulted from this situation.

pre-show warning
A beefy (Is there any other kind?) security guard warned us dramatically that if we took cameras into the theatre as they were filming and took pictures, Isaac, himself, told the guard that he would curse. Then he added, "And Zac . . . and, and, uh, Tyler." The chorus that proceeded that remark was automatic, "Taylor!" followed by laughter.

scene 1: the case of the kidnapped boyfriends
6:10 p.m. My "protest a tad too loudly that I'm not a Hanson fan" sister, Janell and I were in line at the House of Blues on North Dearborn not 10 minutes when security guards indiscreetly head nodded a few unsuspecting boyfriends of fans over. These young men, standing directly ahead and behind us, were only minutes earlier alternating between pretending not to be where they were and cracking predictable jokes about the concert to excuse their presence in line at a Hanson concert. Although one male was seen to shake his head before returning to line, covertly, two were whisked away by security to the front of the line, no, inside the House of Blues, leaving their girlfriends with gaping mouths, no boyfriends and a cell phone between the two of them. When the fans could collect their thoughts, the only words they could utter were, "If he meets Hanson, I'm going to kill him. He doesn't even like Hanson."

Brief, stunted cell phone conversations later, we found out that the males were to be staged in the front row since Hanson was shooting a DVD. Some of the calls were met with, "I'm not supposed to be on the phone right now. I'll call you back." The girlfriends were to "find" their boyfriends after the doors opened. This didn't seem to console either one.

scene 2: office space
Unexplainably, I had envisioned the House of Blues to be like the setting in that long-forgotten Dick Clark Christmas special--where Hanson were sitting in the middle of a modest room on a raised platform surrounded by a relatively small number of audience members. I should have known better. It was more in the vein and scale of the Fox Theatre in Detroit--almost consciously so. There were carvings and painted, gilded detail work above the stage; opera-house box seats; and the crest, "Unity in diversity, All are one" above the stage.

In this way, I felt not like Hanson had come looking for me in an obscure old church, a la Pontiac, but more like I had come to them--as a privileged prop in their latest video project. It was the difference between meeting them at a picnic and visiting them at work. At work, they show you off to their friends--maybe act a little goofy to let you know that they have fun on their job, but ultimately their professionalism is evident to you on a different scale. The diplomas on the wall, the paper weights, the humming computer . . . in this setting, you see what it's like to be Hanson in a new way.

Scene 3: unity in diversity, all are one
For Hanson, their professional life sometimes involves sets and specialized lighting, which were absent in the converted church at Clutch Cargos. Either the motto above the stage was an inspiration or it was a happy accident, but Hanson's stage was littered with religious symbols: a crucifix, a star of David and what appeared to be a crescent (?). They looked to be no more than 1 or 2 feet high, not central focus points, only noticeable if you were not distracted by the white Christmas lights carefully draped over them and elsewhere.

There was that cozy 3-car-garage rug from the first tour underneath the band's feet. Gauzy netting hung from the ceiling in crinkled cylindrical columns which were illuminated with pinpoints of colorful lights that seemed to glitter, shifting in mono-, duo- and multi-colors throughout the night.

Scene 4: in perfect tune or hanson swears
Several times throughout the evening, one or another guitar would be out of tune. During the first instance, Isaac had dramatically to stop the show after the opening of "Rock N Roll Razorblade" to explain that since the show was being taped for everybody to enjoy later, he must tune his guitar perfectly. One of the Hansons (Taylor?) responded, "D*mn that sh*t." Honestly? I was tickled, not only by my own exaggerated gasp and giggle, but by the obvious satisfaction this comment appeared to give the band. Hilarious!

At one point, during a lengthy tuning episode, Zac led the crowd in "We're tunin' We're tunin'!" to the tune of "It's your birthday. We're going to party like it's your birthday." Which lead him next to begin actually singing Happy Birthday to Isaac, in which everybody joined in. This lead unexplainably to Zac exhorting the audience to sing the national anthem which a few people took up with gusto. I wondered how the guys could tune with everybody raising ruckus. My only theory is that their earpieces allowed them to block out excess noise and concentrate only on their guitar.

And memorably, later when a guitar was giving Taylor trouble between "Deeper" and "Hey" Zac walked over and matter-of-factly but kindly plugged in a couple of cords to the great amusement of the crowd.

Scene 5: overtime
Near the end of the show, someone came out to inform Taylor of a technical matter. Taylor relayed to the audience that he had been told that it was time to change tapes so that they had 1 1/2 extra minutes. Immediately afterward, someone stepped out to reverse this memo. Between these incidents, Taylor began to play, "Love Somebody to Know" on the piano. He graciously decided, "Since we already promised, we will play this song for you" (or something along these lines). And the song moved forward in all its raucous joy.

Along these same lines, at the end of the encore--at the end of the show--as the crowd started pulling away from the stage like an expanding circle, Hanson reappeared. Everybody rushed back. Hanson had been told that they needed to re-do two songs for the sake of the taping. Predictably, nobody minded working overtime on Hanson's shift.

the music lives
A succinct summary of the evening, in Taylor's own scrawled t-shirt message, "the music lives." The following is the set list:

• Strong Enough to Break (2 guitars)
• River (2 guitars)
• If Only (Taylor, harmonica)
• Runaway Run (Taylor, piano)
• Rock N Roll Razorblade
• Zac's solo about a tightrope
• Teach Your Children Well
• When You're Gone (3 guitars)
• With You in Your Dreams
• Underneath (Zac, harmonica)
• I Will Come to You
• Ain't No Sunshine
• Hand in Hand (Isaac's solo)
• Crazy Beautiful (Taylor's solo)
• Penny and Me
• Where's the Love
• Deeper
• Hey
• You Never Know
• MMMBop
• Rip It Up
• Love Somebody to Know
• This Time Around

  Encore:

• Lost without Each Other
  
  Retakes:
  
  
• Rock N Roll Razorblade
• Penny and Me

  Brief music notes:
  It goes without saying that the show rocked the house of blues! Many of the elements involving crowd participation and the chill-factor of the latest version of Runaway Run are eliminated to avoid repetition. These are new thoughts listed below:
  

  Zac's solo: People were shushing each other. Very respectful. His songs hold that weight of those moments when a playful teenage boy unexpectedly shares something heartfelt. It feels a lot like hallowed ground from where I stand, I'm almost compelled to remove my shoes.

  Underneath: At the last show, I did not have a copy of the album, thus, did not know the words to the songs that appear on it (possible exception: Penny and Me--slight familiarity). The lyrics to the title song only broadens and deepens my initial affection for the melody and the sentiments expressed in it. Not rocket science, but maybe life?
  
  Ain't No Sunshine: A multiple concert pay-off. So satisfying in its return to Hanson inspirational roots.

Hand in Hand: Isaac explained that this song is about a girlfriend who cheated on him, but in his words, "He got her back" which abruptly turned the "Awws" into laughter (uncomfortable laughter?). Again, I find Isaac's soul-baring quasi-humorous, in the half-flinching for him-way, you know? My hunch is that he isn't the broken man he likes us all to believe he is . . . or is he? Stay tuned, I'm sure the saga will unfold before our very eyes and ears. (c;

Crazy Beautiful: I had never heard this song before--what a savory treat. Pure Taylor passion.

Penny and Me: Janell had not done her homework despite the fact that I had sent her a copy of "Underneath, Acoustic," in order to cram. She wondered what "Peanut Butter" would be about--this was what "Penny and Me" sounded to her when Taylor announced this song.

Deeper: Brutal, is probably the only way you could describe my handling of this track in my Underneath, Acoustic review. Something slowly and sweetly dawned on me though when the band was singing it together--it felt like brotherly support for an older brother who constantly falls in and out of painful crushes. Awww.

Love Somebody to Know: This song will not be on the album, Taylor almost seemed to regret having shared this fact.

Lost Without Each Other: I was really hoping I'd hear this one again sometime. It did not disappoint--a Hanson classic--up-tempo music boosting a melancholy theme, no?

fan notes
A mini-van dropped off a fan in a full yellow-feathered chicken costume just as the line began to move to go into the theatre.

A highlight of Janell and my evening was watching a fan sitting directly behind us who fit right in with the fan chaperone crowd--somebody's mom or aunt, maybe. Except that, in contrast to the majority of chaperones, she was rocking out in a recent tour t-shirt, wielding tiny binoculars. During "This Time Around" she received the thrill of the evening when a Hanson sibling, escorted by an adult family friend asked if the young Hanson brother could borrow this lady's binoculars for just a bit. This gracious lady whipped the strap off her neck and the young Hanson rushed back to his box seat to observe a few members of the audience through his magnified vision. Later, Janell invited the mature fan to join us at the front of the balcony for the encore and we were treated with her clapping, swaying presence alongside ours--the returned binoculars securely around her neck.

We also met a fan whose pictures of the October 14, 2003 Cleveland show were published on hanson.net. If she ever stumbles on this page, feel free to drop me a line. I'm hoping she will recognize the writer of this review from some details given here. P.S. Winona wrote to authorize a link to her email.

Janell and I enjoyed the show in the balcony, which was exclusively for the 21 and above crowd. We earned a roomier place among the chaperones by our own wit as Janell had forgotten her ID at home--although she turned the legal drinking age not less than 2 weeks ago. We managed to secure two of the coveted 21-and over bracelets through cunning (Which smacks of Hanson @ Sundance, does it not? Eh, who am I kidding?). We took in the show above the maddening crowd.:

final thoughts
Janell, again feigning utter amusement did express awe at Taylor's craftsmanship at the piano as she is a pianist herself. I can't say it was a magical evening, for two reasons, one being that the Pontiac show was such a personal handwritten experience and second because of the production factor--like we were earning our Hanson keep. Yet, magical can be overrated. This night was more like real life. Being part of a Hanson film project was a privilege and lended its own fun. The concert was definitely an energetic night with many memories to sift through later. It was pure divine intervention for Hanson to end the tour in our neck of the woods. As always, thank you Hanson!

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